Sýnilegir

Sýnilegir is the masculine plural nominative form of the Icelandic adjective sýnilegur, meaning visible or apparent. The term is used to describe something that can be perceived by sight or something that is evidently the case in a given situation.

Etymology and meaning: sýnilegur derives from the root sýn-, related to sight or vision, with the adjectival suffix -ilegur to indicate the quality of being able to be seen. The form sýnilegir specifically marks masculine plural in the nominative case.

Declension and forms: Icelandic adjectives agree with gender, number, and definiteness. The basic forms of sýnilegur include masculine singular sýnilegur, feminine singular sýnileg, neuter singular sýnilegt, masculine plural sýnilegir, feminine plural sýnilegar, and neuter plural sýnileg. The form sýnilegir is used when describing masculine plural nouns in the nominative. In other cases, different endings apply, such as sýnilegt for neuter singular or sýnilegar for feminine plural.

Usage: Sýnilegur is used for physical visibility as well as for obvious or evident aspects. It can modify nouns attributively (sýnilegir hlutir – visible objects) or function predicatively after the verb vera (Það er sýnilegt – It is visible/It is evident). It is sometimes contrasted with sjáanlegur, which can carry a similar meaning but with slightly different nuance.

See also: sýn, sjáanlegur.